For the third consecutive month, the National Bank of Belgium's business barometer has dipped slightly. The decline in May is to be attributed exclusively to a marked deterioration of the business climate in the building industry, mainly due to a lower utilisation of the equipment and to a drop in orders received. Business confidence stabilised in the manufacturing industry and business-related services, while trade improved for the second time in a row. As a result of the gross curve's downward trend in recent months, the smoothed synthetic curve has reached a turning point, as a consequence of which the underlying ... (full story)